December 20th, 2012 issue #1151

The year 2012 was another big one in the annals of Charlottesville music history. It would have been news enough to have "The Boss," Bruce Springsteen in town, but it's what he did with his time in town that created an everlasting glow. Appearing here just a few days before the election, in addition to his evening performance at John Paul Jones Arena, he gave a free afternoon acoustic show at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion.

When Mark Warner was governor, he once told the Hook the most annoying thing about Charlottesville was its belief that it is the center of the universe.
Guess what? In 2012, Charlottesville was the center of the universe. During the contentious presidential campaign, President Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, and Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan all flocked here. So did the Dalai Lama.
And when the Olympics were happening in London, UVA athletes brought home the gold.